Trail Recap 13 of 27: Harpers Ferry to Half Way Pt.

General Impression/Theme: The heart and soul of the AT. Starting in Harper's Ferry, continuing through the current halfway marker, the new AT Museum at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Centerpoint Knob with its recently replaced plaque (Installed July 2012 after I had passed by), the ATC mid-Atlantic regional office in Boiling Springs, and on to Duncannon (actually five more day hikes north of this section), this part of the AT feels like its spiritual home.

People: Very few except for day hikers. 'Two Brothers' doing a week's worth of trail northbound. At the ATC office I had a nice visit with Information Services Manager Laurie Potteiger. At Caledonia State Park I had the honor of meeting Quarry Gap Shelter 'Innkeeper' and 35-year volunteer extraordinaire, Jim Stauch.

Supply/Overnight: Through this section I commuted from my condo in Eldersburg, MD.

Worst Memory: No really significant one, so I'll go with the NoBo hiker's first introduction to Pennsylvania rocks on the aptly named Rocky Mountain.

Best Day Hike: My clear choice is the extensive rock outcrops of Black Rock Cliffs in Maryland. Site of a former hotel/resort, these cliffs are Maryland's answer to McAfee Knob. The day hiker can come up past Annapolis Rocks from the US 40 parking area near the I-70 overpass or approach from the west via the Thurston Griggs Trail up from a trailhead at the end of White Oak Road (39.583, -77.6035).

Two other great choices for day hikes are Weverton Cliffs with its fine view of the Potomac River, High Rock from Pen-Mar Park, and Washington Monument State Park with its excellent view to the west from the 1826 vintage observation tower. All three of these are accessible from the AT via side trails of just a hundred yards or so.

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"Not all who wander are lost." -- J.R.R. Tolkien

Welcome. Here is a site about traveling the old fashioned way—on foot.

“…the walking of which I speak has nothing in it akin to taking exercise, as it is called, as the sick take medicine at stated hours—as the swinging of dumb-bells or chairs; but is itself the enterprise and adventure of the day."

— Henry David Thoreau

For me, purposeful walking lies at the heart a well-lived life. Walking defines us as a species. We are the ape who left the trees to explore the world. Walking made us curious and adaptable, which led to tool making, agriculture, community, and perhaps to the point of forgetting that it was our two feet that got us here. In myself I find the purest peace experiencing this world in the simple way of our distant ancestors.

“
…walk in a way that … print[s] peace and serenity on the Earth. Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet."

— Thich Nhat Hanh

I started this blog after I retired from NASA, so that family could follow my bucket-list treks. I’m still trekking. See the ‘Hopping Rocks’ tab for details. Sharing the joy of my walks just amps up the joy-meter. This is a labor of love.